THATO Moncho needs help.
The 40-year-old woman was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer on 17 September 2020. She takes chemotherapy pills every three weeks, but for her, that's not enough.
She has faced at least three recurrences of cancer. Despite undergoing surgery, she has been waiting for more than four years for radiation treatment.
Thato shared how she lives in constant misery, counting down the days she has left.
"We keep seeing cancer patients die while they wait for radiation. I don't know what will happen to me tomorrow. I might wake up, or I might not. I'm asking, please clear the backlog," she said.
On Tuesday, 30 April, cancer patients and activists demanded that the Gauteng Department of Health use the R784 million allocated by the province's treasury in March 2023.
The money was intended to outsource radiation oncology services for more than 3 000 patients on the backlog list. Many have been waiting for years, and tragically, some have died waiting for the department to act, including Thato.
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Thato has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa and the department to treat this issue with urgency.
"There's no reason for this amount to just sit there. It's clearly a case of maladministration. I've spoken to the MEC of health, pleading for radiation, but they failed to act.
"I'm the one living with cancer, constantly facing recurrences. There's no treatment they can give me besides those pills until I get the radiation I need," she said.
The provincial health department said: "The Gauteng Department of Health has responded to the demands for improved radiation oncology services. The department has appointed a service provider and invested R534 million in equipment and infrastructure.
"Additionally, R250 million has been allocated for outsourcing radiation oncology services for one year. This proactive approach aims to expand access to quality healthcare services in the province, especially in oncology."
